Volunteer Helps Center That Uses Horses For Therapy

April 28, 1999|By Pamela Dittmer McKuen. Special to the Tribune.

About a year ago Rebecca Leake heard about a program that combined physical therapy and horses. She thought it might help her daughter, Quinn Miller, then 6, who has poor muscle tone. After visiting the stable, she decided to enroll Quinn and to become a volunteer as well.

"I didn't know anything about horses, but they needed help," said Leake, 45, who assists the therapists at EquiTherapy in Morton Grove. "When you come here and see how hard these kids work, it's great to be a part of this."

The program offers occupational, physical and speech therapy to children and adults with disabilities, using horses as a therapy tool. Leake volunteers for two or three client sessions a week. Her usual task is to lead and control the horse.

"I'm just standing there, holding the horse," she said. "But I'm also listening to what is going on. If the child says, `Go,' we have to go so he gets the immediate reward of knowing the horse is doing what he wants it to do."

She is also listening to the therapists as they guide the rider in activities, and keeping a rein on the horse.

At the end of each session, the horse gets a treat. The treats are kept behind a set of double doors that open to the arena. Occasionally a horse will think the session is over and head for the doors. Leake gently steers it away until treat time arrives.

Crackers, a miniature horse, likes to nibble on Leake's fingers, so she must not let her hand get too close to his mouth, she said with a smile.

One client Leake regularly assists is 5-year-old Shane Quinn, who is developmentally delayed, of Spring Grove. During a recent session, program coordinator Becky Davenport, an occupational therapist, directed the helmeted child while he sat atop Crackers. Leake led Crackers while Heidi Waldinger, a student intern, and Shane's mother, Sabrina Quinn, walked along either side.

At one point they stopped near a colorful banner that depicts letters of the alphabet and objects that start with each letter. Davenport pointed to the letter A and asked Shane, "Can you say apple?"

"Apple," Shane replied.

"Can you say baby?" Davenport asked.

Shane could and did.

The two recited a few more words and then moved on.

During later stops Davenport asked Shane to remove a twist-off cap from a bottle and to cut a piece of paper.

He performed both tasks, although his mother wasn't sure he would be able to manipulate the scissors. With each success, the women clapped and cheered him on.

Several times Davenport asked Shane if he wanted to go fast. He said yes, and the group trotted alongside boy and horse.

At the end of the session, the group walked Crackers to his stall. Shane carried a bucket of carrots--Crackers' treat. Then he said "thank you" in sign language and turned to leave.

"He loves this," Sabrina Quinn said. "He looks forward to this."

She said she has seen great improvement in her son since he started attending the program nine months ago.

"He wasn't talking at all when we came here," she said.

One aspect of her work that Leake particularly enjoys is watching the progress the riders make, she said.

"They don't stay the same from week to week," she said. "When Shane started, he would say, `Wo-o-o.' Now he says, `Go.' It's fun to see how they progress."

The program, which was founded in 1997, enrolls more than 50 clients. It is located at the Morton Grove Equestrian Center, 9501 N. Austin Ave., and has six therapists and six horses.

Although treatment plans are individually tailored, the program's primary goal is to help the clients develop and enhance the skills needed to improve their lives. The horses and their movements help clients improve posture, balance, mobility and function, Davenport said.

"It's also motivating," she said. "It's fun to be on a horse."

The program has about 100 regular volunteers, most of whom help the riders. A typical rider requires three helpers, one to lead the horse and two to stand on each side to help the rider stay mounted.

Volunteers are essential to the program, Davenport said.

"We couldn't do this without them," she said. "If something happens, we need someone to stop a horse or give (the riders) the extra support they need."

Davenport offers warm words for Leake. "She's a wonderful volunteer and very dedicated," Davenport said. "She's always willing to help out and always has a good smile and encouragement for kids."

Leake also helps during her daughter's sessions. She said the program has been beneficial for Quinn, a 1st grader at Greenbriar School in Northbrook.

"She can't run fast," Leake said. "There are a lot of things she can't do, and these things are important to her. But she can come here and go to school and say she went horseback riding. It's something new and different. That helps her self-esteem."

Quinn participated in one of the program's periodic horse shows and won a blue ribbon, which she proudly took to her school and showed her friends.

Leake was born in West Islip, N.Y., and moved to Northbrook with her family when she was 8. She graduated from Glenbrook North High School in 1971 and received a bachelor's degree in art from the University of Colorado in Boulder in 1975.

Soon after returning to the Chicago area, she ran into a childhood friend, Steve Miller. They renewed their acquaintance and married in 1976. They moved to Northbrook in 1988.

They also have two sons, Ted, 14, and Tristram, 17. Ten years ago Leake joined the staff at Glenbrook Hospital in Glenview as a part-time secretary in the emergency room. For the last year she has worked full time.

Her volunteer work gives her a great deal of pleasure, Leake said.

"I believe people should volunteer," she said. "I'm happy I have the time to do it, and I feel great that I can do this to give back to the program what it gives my daughter."

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For information on EquiTherapy at the Morton Grove Equestrian Center, call 847-965-1632.